Rebirthing
by firespaws
Summary: My version of Season Six. Dean, unable to live the 'apple pie' life, returns to hunting. While working his first case back with Bobby, they cross paths with a very familiar hunter.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

Well, seeing as I got such positive feedback from my first Supernatural story, I decided to start another one!

I quite honestly cried my eyes out watching the finale, and since then I've been in some kind of wierd slump. So, I decided that writing would make me feel better and began thinking up plots. But nothing that came to mind was any good. Then, my friends and I got together to speculate about season six, and we all came to an agreement on what will happen. So, with their permission, I decided to go ahead and write it :) I figured, we all need something to do until season six starts, so why not make up my own season six to share?

Well, hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own these gorgeous boys... :(

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**Rebirthing**

Chapter 1

_Feel your presence filling up my lungs with oxygen  
I take you in  
I've died  
Rebirthing now  
I wanna live for love, wanna live for you and me  
Breathe for the first time now  
I come alive somehow  
Rebirthing now  
I wanna live my life, wanna give you everything  
Breathe for the first time now  
I come alive somehow_

Dean remained at Lisa's house for a grand total of four days. He wasn't cut out for the 'apple pie' life. He had no longing for a house, front yard, or a white picket fence. He drew no entertainment from soccer games, barbeques, or mingling with friendly neighbors.

No.

Dean's vision of an apple pie life was the road, the Impala, and the comforting weight of a gun in his hands. He had tried. Damn, he had tried so hard to settle, to connect with Lisa and Ben. To live the life Sam had wanted for him.

But he just couldn't do it.

His life was gone, swallowed up in the earth with no hope of ever being recovered.

And so, he got into the Impala and drove.

A part of him felt guilty, like he was betraying Sam by leaving Lisa behind. But, he reasoned, Sam had made him promise to return to her because he had thought it would make him happy. Dean wasn't happy with Lisa. Far from it. Ben reminded Dean of another snot-nosed kid who Dean had practically raised, always asking questions and running around with seemingly unending energy. Every second he spent in that house only brought him more misery. He had to leave to be happy. And he was sure Sam would understand that.

The drive to Bobby's seemed to take longer than it should have. More than once, Dean opened his mouth to say something, only to turn and see an empty passenger seat. He tried to listen to music, but every song that played brought back another memory: Sam bitching about his music taste, Sam whining for him to turn the volume down, Sam covering his ears to block out the sound of Dean's singing. At one point, Dean had to pull over to collect himself because the tears in his eyes were making it hard to see.

The aching feeling of grief and loneliness only intensified when Dean pulled up to Bobby's house. He killed the engine and just sat in the Impala, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. The old house brought back so many memories that they caused Dean physical pain just thinking about them. He wanted nothing more than to start up the Impala and drive away, putting this place and all of the memories it was home to behind him, but he had nowhere else to go.

To say Bobby was surprised to find Dean standing on his doorstep would be an understatement. Nonetheless, he recovered quickly and pulled the younger hunter into a firm embrace. No words were exchanged as Bobby led Dean into the house. It was only after Dean was settled on Bobby's couch with a beer in his hand that he found his voice again.

"I couldn't do it, Bobby," he whispered, "I just couldn't do it. The 'apple pie' life…I'm just not cut out for it. I know that Sam made me promise to go back to Lisa because he wanted me to be happy, but…I wasn't."

Bobby nodded thoughtfully, "To be honest, I had a feeling it wouldn't take too long for you to go stir-crazy." He took a long drink of his beer before continuing, "Sam would kill me for this, but I've gotta feeling this'll help you."

Dean raised an eyebrow, his attention completely captured.

"An old friend called, thinks he has a hunt for me. I was gonna drive down tomorrow to check it out. Looks like a rugaru. Shouldn't be too dangerous, and I'd sure love the company."

Dean felt his first real smile since Sam jumped spread across his face.

"So, you in?" Bobby asked.

"I'd like that."

Bobby nodded, obviously pleased, before standing and heading towards the kitchen to throw away his now empty beer bottle, patting Dean on the knee as he went. Dean shifted on the couch so that he could gaze out of the nearest window. He took a long drink from his own beer as his mind wandered back to his brother.

'_I tried, Sam. I really did. But, hunting is all I can do. I know that you'd understand_.'

Dean cursed and rubbed his eyes furiously, refusing to let the tears that were lurking behind his eyes fall.

'_I'm sorry, Sammy_.'

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**A/N:**

I know, it's really short, but my first chapters usually are. I guess you can almost consider this some kind of prologue. Not to worry, the rest of the chapters will be decently long.

The song used at the top is Rebirthing by Skillet, which was my favorite song for over a year. I listened to it non-stop while writing this, so, to me, it's kinda like this story's theme song, lol.

Well, hope you liked it! Please review! As I'm still new to this fandom, constructive critisism and tips are more than welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

Sorry this chapter took so long! I had exams this week and have them next week too :( After that though, guess what? It's summer! Which means? Faster (and probably longer) updates! :D

Anyway, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, I can't believe how many reviews it got!

Well, hope you enjoy chapter 2!

Disclaimer: If I owned Supernatural, this story would already be airing as Season Six. So...obviously...I own nothing.

* * *

**Rebirthing**

Chapter 2

The drive from Sioux City to Valbarrow, a small town just outside of Dayton, Ohio, took about thirteen hours. They took the Impala. Bobby let Dean drive for the majority of the trip while he himself took the backseat. He knew that while Dean needed the company, he couldn't take Sam's place beside him. It wouldn't be right.

It was about 6:30 when they pulled into the small Ohio town. The sun was just beginning to set behind the distant skyscrapers of Dayton, casting an orange glow on the streets. People were milling about, stepping into restaurants and stores, chattering happily as they went. The cars drove slowly by, constantly stopping to let pedestrians cross, as there were few streetlights. The first impression Dean had of Valbarrow was that it was a laid-back place.

Valbarrow consisted of one main road along which various restaurants, bars, and stores were located. The road was crossed by only one other that ran north, travelling up into a small neighborhood, and south, dipping down towards the town park, which was more like a wilderness reservation. Several houses rested beside the park, but most people lived in the neighborhood on the north side of the town.

Bobby's friend, Daniel Taylor, lived just up the block from the town's main entrance, in one of the small, nineteenth-century homes dotting the sides of the northernmost street. His house was a narrow, two-story structure that, at one point, had been painted a pale blue color. The old paint was peeling now, revealing the smooth wood it had once concealed. An old, beat-up 1977 Ford Thunderbird was parked out front. Dean pulled up next to it and killed the engine of the Impala, feeling a small amount of pride as he compared the two cars. Though his baby was older, it was in better shape than Daniel's Ford. He followed Bobby to the front porch and waited patiently as Bobby knocked on the off-white front door that seemed to hand slightly crooked in Dean's eyes.

The door opened and a man who looked to be in his late forties with dirty blonde hair and kind brown eyes appeared.

"Bobby!" He exclaimed, clapping the older man on the shoulder in greeting, "It's been years, my friend. Thanks for coming down."

Bobby smiled, "It's been too long," he agreed. He then stepped back and gestured toward Dean, "This is Dean Winchester, one of Johnny's boys."

Daniel's eyes lit up, "One of Johnny's boys, eh?" He extended a hand, which Dean took and shook firmly. "It's an honor to finally meet you. John and Bobby here used to talk about you and your brother all the time. I was so sorry to hear that Johnny died."

There was genuine remorse in Daniel's voice, and Dean found himself liking the older man.

"So, where's the other one? Sam, wasn't it?" Daniel asked, looking past Dean and Bobby as if expecting the youngest Winchester to suddenly appear on his front porch.

Dean felt as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. He couldn't breathe past the pain hearing Sam's name caused in his gut. Thankfully, Bobby came to his recue. "Sam's not with us," he said simply, putting a reassuring hand on Dean's shoulder.

"That's a shame," Daniel remarked, "He sounds like a pretty great kid."

"Yeah, he is," Dean forced out, the words tearing at his throat on their way.

Thankfully, Dean didn't have time to dwell on his grief. Daniel stepped back, holding open the door for the two hunters, "Well, come on in! We've got a lot to talk about."

Dean and Bobby followed him into a small living room.

"Beer anyone?" He asked, pulling a few bottles from the fridge in the adjoining kitchen. Dean and Bobby each took one and thanked him before settling down on the couch to hear what Daniel had to say.

"Daniel and I hunted together for a few months about ten years ago," Bobby explained, "Your father was with us for about a week or so too."

"Yup. We would've probably hunted together for awhile longer, but we had a bit of an accident with a wendigo," Daniel continued, pulling up the pants on his left leg, revealing an artificial limb. "After that, I gave up serious hunting. I'm just not as fast as I need to be."

"I'm sorry," Dean said.

Daniel waved away the apology, "Could've been worse. Besides, I can still check things out so other hunters don't have to waste their time on dead-end hunts. I remember my friend Michael drove all the way from Texas to New York to check out rumors of a werewolf only to find out it was all based on some kids playing pranks on their teachers."

"So, tell us about the rugaru," Bobby prompted his friend.

"Ah, right. Sorry about that." He laughed and turned to Dean, "I get side-tracked easily."

Dean couldn't help but smile as Bobby rolled his eyes and muttered, "Isn't _that_ an understatement…"

"Anyway," Daniel cleared his throat, frowning teasingly at his old friend, "Back to the rugaru. There's this guy, Zachary Adams, who moved here about two months ago with his wife and daughter. Nice guy, really good with his little girl, a gentleman to his wife. Lately though, he's been acting really hostile towards everyone, even his family."

"You sure it's not just a simple demonic possession?" Bobby asked.

"Positive. I slipped some holy water into his drink and watched him drink every drop myself."

"What if he's a werewolf or a shapeshifter?" Dean asked.

"I've monitored him closely and I can tell you without a doubt that he's not a werewolf. As for shapeshifters, I managed to get my hands on some recent footage of him at his office. Nothing. Besides, I don't think another shapeshifter will show up here again. Not for a long time, at least. About fifteen years ago, one came wandering into the restaurant I was working at and – "

"Daniel, focus," Bobby growled, cutting his friend off.

"Oh, right, sorry," Daniel grinned sheepishly.

"So what other research have you done?" Bobby asked.

"Not much. Zach knows I've been snooping around and nobody will tell me anything anymore."

"That's why you called us." Dean commented.

"Bingo."

"Well then, we better get started as soon as possible," Bobby said, standing, "Where's the best place to start?"

Daniel and Dean stood up as well. "He usually head to Samantha's Bar around this time. He's been spending an unusual amount of time there lately." Daniel replied.

"We'll start there then," Bobby said, making his way to Daniel's front door and motioning for Dean to follow him.

"I'll be here if you need back-up," Daniel said, showing them out with a grin on his face. Dean raised an eyebrow, causing the older man to scoff, "I may be down, boy, but I'm sure not out."

Bobby chuckled, "We'll see you soon Daniel."

The former hunter laughed and waved as Bobby and Dean began heading down the street on foot. "Have fun!" He called after them.

"Not worth wasting the gas," Bobby explained as Dean sent him a questioning look. Dean just nodded and continued on silently.

The walk took only about five minutes, during which Dean tried to think about anything but Sam. His stomach clenched again and he began to wonder if Sam's loss would ever stop hurting. By the time they reached their destination, Dean was in so much pain, it was a wonder that he was still standing.

The bar, like most of the buildings in the town, was old and peeling. It had been built with dark-stained wood that now looked well-worn by many years exposed to the elements. The lettering 'Samantha's Bar' looked like it used to be a vibrant red, but time and exposure had dulled it to a light maroon. Dean swallowed as he read the name of the bar over again.

_"Wake up, Samantha. You've had enough beauty rest for the both of us."_

_"Deeeeaaaan, go away."_

_"No way, Samantha. We need to hit the road."_

_"You suck, Dean."_

_"Bitch."_

_"Jerk."_

"Dean? You ok, son?" Bobby's voice brought Dean back from the memory of Sam's pouting face.

"Yeah," he said shakily, "Fine. Just thinking. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

Bobby gave him a long, hard look and Dean was afraid that he was going to protest and insist that they needed to talk about it because it was obviously affecting Dean so much, but he merely nodded and led the way into the bar.

The bar was relatively empty and Zachary Adams was easy enough to spot. Dean knew the look, had seen it before when he and Sam had hunted down Jack Montgomery with Travis. Zach was staring intently at his drink, his grip so tight on the glass that his knuckles were turning white and it was a wonder that the glass hadn't already shattered. A fine layer of sweat covered his forehead and he was fiercely biting his lip. Dean and Bobby slid into an empty booth and watched him carefully.

About twenty minutes later, he put down his empty glass and left, as if in a hurry to get somewhere. Dean stood up to follow him, but Bobby stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder. He sent Bobby a questioning look.

"We'll go after him, don't worry. But we need to do some double-checking first," Bobby explained, "For all we know, that guy could've just been some random guy with a drinkin' problem. Let's go talk to the bartender."

Dean nodded in agreement and followed Bobby to the counter. Bobby shoved something small and rectangular into Dean's hand, and Dean didn't have to check to know that it was his undercover identity.

At first, there didn't seem to be anyone behind the counter, but in a flurry of motion, a young girl, no older than sixteen, popped up. She set the large bottle of wine she had been retrieving on the bar and turned to Bobby and Dean, an amiable smile on her face. She was tall for a girl, with long, wavy blonde hair and bright green eyes.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Aren't you a bit young to be manning a bar?" Dean blurted.

She raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you a little old to be staring at a teenager's chest?"

Bobby snorted and Dean quickly averted his eyes. So she wasn't one of those really young-looking women. Whoops.

"Are you Samantha?" Bobby asked.

"Her great-granddaughter by the same name," Samantha said, smirking, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm Agent Green and this moron here is Agent Murray," Bobby said, as he and Dean flashed their fake badges, "FBI."

"You don't look like FBI agents," Samantha remarked, frowning at their faded jeans and dusty tee-shirts.

"Well, we're actually supposed to be on vacation," Dean lied smoothly, "But, duty calls, you know?"

Samantha sighed, "Is this about Mr. Adams?"

"Um, yes," Dean said, surprised.

"Look, the first guys you sent already decided that there was no case here. It was all just a big misunderstanding."

"Oh, we know," Bobby said, "We just need to follow up on the investigation. There are just a few more questions we need to ask you."

"Just need to make sure we covered everything," Dean added.

Samantha growled, "That's exactly what the last guy said."

"The last guy?" Dean asked.

"This is the third time the FBI has sent agents here to ask about Mr. Adams. I don't know what else you guys could possibly need to ask. The last guy asked some really weird questions."

"What kind of questions?" Bobby asked.

"Like, if Mr. Adams had been eating more meat lately or if he had been ordering it raw or something like that. Which he has, come to think of it…Anyway, it was _really_ weird."

Dean and Bobby exchanged a long look.

"Well then," Dean said, "I'll put a call in. We've obviously covered everything here. We're sorry for bothering you."

Samantha just nodded and went back to serving drinks to the two men who were sitting at the opposite end of the bar.

Dean and Bobby walked back to Daniel's house in complete silence. Bobby opened the door without even knocking.

"Daniel!" He called, stepping into the house.

"In the kitchen!" Came the cheery reply.

Daniel was chopping lettuce and watching TV. "That was fast! Must've gone well, huh?"

"Who else did you call?" Bobby asked gruffly.

"What're you talking about?" Daniel asked, his hand pausing in the middle of the cutting motion.

"There's another hunter working this case," Bobby explained.

"Really? That's weird…The nearest hunter that I know of is James. He headed over to Dayton last week and told me he'd call me when he was on his way back. We were gonna take a trip out to Colorado to check out some weird deaths. He and I have been friends since college." Daniel caught himself as he began to ramble, "Anyway, if there's another hunter here, I didn't call him."

"Do you know anyone who's hunting nearby?" Dean asked Bobby.

Bobby shook his head, "No, most of 'em are out west around California and Montana. There's been some possible vampire activity out there."

"So…who could it be?" Dean asked.

"And are they friend or foe?" Daniel mused, scratching his chin and grinning playfully, "Come on guys, he's probably just some guy who was passing through and noticed something was off with Zach and decided to check it out. I wouldn't worry about it."

"I'm not worried," Dean protested, "Just curious."

Daniel shrugged, "Well, I don't see why it should affect you. I say, keep on the case and if you cross paths, you cross paths."

Bobby nodded, "Not like there's much we can do about it."

Dean just shrugged. He wasn't sure why, but he had a weird feeling about this hunt and the unidentified hunter. Something was telling him that there was something strange going on. With a sigh, he sank down into the nearest chair and tried to think about something else.

They would just have to wait and see.

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**A/N:**

Well, there you go! Sorry it's not that long, but with everything that's going on right now, I figured I should just post what I have before exams strangled me. Once summer starts and the plot begins to actually move, chapters should start getting longer.

Hope you liked it! Please review :)

Also, Valbarrow? Only exists in my mind, as far as I know. I made it up because I've only been to Ohio once and was too lazy to research a real location to use. And as for the FBI case brought up against Zach? That'll be explained next chapter.


End file.
